Publisher's Synopsis
The life of Magda Arnold (1903-2002)-best known for her pioneering appraisal theory of emotion-spanned the 20th century, and as a result she witnessed the rise and fall of many of the major "schools" of psychology. Arnold had an unusual perspective on these theories of psychology, due in large part to an event that occurred in 1948: her conversion to Roman Catholicism. Throughout her life, but especially following her conversion, Arnold rejected reductionistic theories of the human person, instead articulating theories which emphasized human agency and telos, and which held up the human experience as the primary source of psychological knowledge. Arnold's conversion significantly affected her career, as she made professional sacrifices to teach in Catholic institutions and was open about her religious identity in her academic work at a time when Catholic scholars were suspect. Arnold's conversion also shaped her psychological thinking-she later credited her conversion and her resulting exposure to scholastic philosophy with inspiring her appraisal theory. Although there were other Catholics active in psychology at mid-century, Arnold was unusual even in that cohort for her seamless integration of her faith and her science.
